Status: new and updating!
I See Beautiful
one.
Lisa! Be careful! Tommy, you better watch where you point those!"
Lisa's cousin, Tommy, nodded vigorously as him and Lisa rushed outside, the booming from the fireworks by the beach echoing all the way down the block.
"Where'd you even get these?"
Tommy stuck a few firecrackers into the ground and lit one, making it pop and set off the other ones.
"My dad mailed them to me from North Carolina a few weeks ago so they'd be here by today."
Lisa nodded and looked up, hearing another loud boom and clapping. The fourth of July was one of her favorite days; the sky looked so beautiful and she loved how nothing ever went wrong. Her family was over the house, including her Tommy's mother, Aunt Liz, and her mother let her stay home from school so she could help her bake, and she got to light fireworks in the yard for the first time.
"Wanna light this one, Lisa?"
The small pre-teen smiled and nodded, taking the lighter from Tommy and held the roman candle, pointing it on a tilt towards the sky. The second the fuse got a lick of the fire, it shot up towards the night sky with a shriek, popping and sharing it's insides with the stars. Lisa couldn't look away. She smiled as her mother clapped from the door and Aunt Liz yelled to do another one. Tommy took the lighter from Lisa, since she was still distracted by looking at the fireworks in the sky.
He grabbed a sparkler, and handed it to his favorite cousin, already lit. She smiled at him, and started dancing around the yard with it. Tommy grabbed something out of the bag, and was pretending to shoot it like a gun. He was flickering the lighter as he laughed to himself at Lisa, whom was still dancing. He thought it would be funny to take his sparkler and chase Lisa with it. He knew she would get slightly burned, but he had been burned by one before; it wasn't that bad.
"Hey Lisa!"
Tommy lit the end of the sparkler, and when Lisa turned, she was met by a roman candle tip. The first thing she felt was stinging right above her nose. She let out a scream, as did her mother and aunt. Tommy was frozen. He looked down at his hand, and he was holding the roman candle. He started panicking, convincing himself that he swore he grabbed a sparkler. The fourteen year old ran over to his cousin, whom was rolling on the grass, screaming in pain and patting at her face.
Lisa's mother took her small sweater off of her back and threw it on her daughter's face, the fire going out. Sparks fell from her cheeks, leaving small first degree burns, but her face was beet red and she was hysterically crying. Her mother looked at her sister and yelled for her to call an ambulance. Aunt Liz jumped up and ran inside the house, her fingers shaking as she grabbed her cell phone and dialed the three digits.
"Lisa! Lisa, talk to me! Can you see?!"
Lisa was still crying and sniffling, the pain going no where but her nose and eyes.
"No! This hurts!"
The ambulance showed up within a few minutes, and ran in the backyard where Lisa was still on the ground, her head in her mother's lap. They placed the stretcher on the ground, having Lisa roll onto it since she was still paralyzed with fear and pain. They lifted the stretcher, her mother's hand still in hers.
"What happened?"
Mrs. Esposito explained what happened, the paramedic repeating her words into a walkie talkie attached to his shirt. Lisa still cried in pain as her mother shushed her and told her everything was going to be okay.
The ambulance ride seemed to take hours, but had to be at least ten minutes. Lisa's mother was holding her down, trying to keep her calm and to keep from rolling off of the stretcher. The vehicle came to a halt, and the doors flew open, Lisa coming out first, followed by her mother. The paramedics screamed that there was an accident and the hallway needed to be cleared so they could get through; that this was an emergency. Lisa could hear her heart beat in her ears, and she was beyond panicked. She was only fourteen years old, but she wasn't stupid. She knew something beyond repair just happened.
Mrs. Esposito was bouncing her leg as it was crossed over the other in nervousness and looked at the clock on the wall. She had been sitting in the waiting room for five hours, and it felt so much longer. Her sister and nephew sat beside her, feeling the same anxiety and worry. Tommy had his head in his hands as his mother ran a hand across his back. He had cried in the car, screaming that it was his fault and he didn't know. When they first arrived at the hospital, Tommy ran into his Aunt Laura and sobbed, apologizing and wailing that he didn't mean it, to which his aunt just hugged him and soothed him.
Her blonde hair that she had pulled into a bun was getting messy due to her drowsiness, and her manicured nails were all chewed, due to her worry.
Finally, the doctor from earlier came out from behind the double doors, and sighed. Mrs. Esposito jumped up, as did Liz and Tommy, but they were told to sit the second the doctor got close enough. He sat beside the woman, her body facing him.
"Mrs. Esposito, sorry to keep you waiting this long."
The woman nodded, eager to hear what he had to say.
"That's fine, that's fine. How's Lisa? Is she going to be okay?"
The doctor looked down for a second, inhaling and patting her hand.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am, but Lisa has lost her sight. The way the firework entered her eye was at an angle that hit her retinas, corneas, and destroyed her pupils in both eyes."
Laura's hand went to her heart, a tear coming down her aged face.
"Will she be able to see again?"
The doctor looked down at his clip board, and shook his head.
"Not with out drastic surgery, however, she is too young and it is too dangerous for lasik eye surgery. Plus, according to your insurance, you do not have the coverage, and for you to pay yourself...it would be astronomical."
"That doesn't matter. How much would it be to fix her sight?"
Liz took her sister's hand, telling her that there was nothing she could do.
"No! I will not let my daughter go through her life not being able to see! She doesn't deserve that! What would I have to do to fix this?!"
The doctor stood up, and went to the secretary desk, grabbing a pen and paper. He wrote down and explained all of the costs, and gave her the paper.
Her eyes widened at the huge number, and let out a choked sob, her sister immediately hugging her and rocking her as she trembled.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Esposito. We're going to keep her for the night, and she will be ready in the morning."
Lisa's cousin, Tommy, nodded vigorously as him and Lisa rushed outside, the booming from the fireworks by the beach echoing all the way down the block.
"Where'd you even get these?"
Tommy stuck a few firecrackers into the ground and lit one, making it pop and set off the other ones.
"My dad mailed them to me from North Carolina a few weeks ago so they'd be here by today."
Lisa nodded and looked up, hearing another loud boom and clapping. The fourth of July was one of her favorite days; the sky looked so beautiful and she loved how nothing ever went wrong. Her family was over the house, including her Tommy's mother, Aunt Liz, and her mother let her stay home from school so she could help her bake, and she got to light fireworks in the yard for the first time.
"Wanna light this one, Lisa?"
The small pre-teen smiled and nodded, taking the lighter from Tommy and held the roman candle, pointing it on a tilt towards the sky. The second the fuse got a lick of the fire, it shot up towards the night sky with a shriek, popping and sharing it's insides with the stars. Lisa couldn't look away. She smiled as her mother clapped from the door and Aunt Liz yelled to do another one. Tommy took the lighter from Lisa, since she was still distracted by looking at the fireworks in the sky.
He grabbed a sparkler, and handed it to his favorite cousin, already lit. She smiled at him, and started dancing around the yard with it. Tommy grabbed something out of the bag, and was pretending to shoot it like a gun. He was flickering the lighter as he laughed to himself at Lisa, whom was still dancing. He thought it would be funny to take his sparkler and chase Lisa with it. He knew she would get slightly burned, but he had been burned by one before; it wasn't that bad.
"Hey Lisa!"
Tommy lit the end of the sparkler, and when Lisa turned, she was met by a roman candle tip. The first thing she felt was stinging right above her nose. She let out a scream, as did her mother and aunt. Tommy was frozen. He looked down at his hand, and he was holding the roman candle. He started panicking, convincing himself that he swore he grabbed a sparkler. The fourteen year old ran over to his cousin, whom was rolling on the grass, screaming in pain and patting at her face.
Lisa's mother took her small sweater off of her back and threw it on her daughter's face, the fire going out. Sparks fell from her cheeks, leaving small first degree burns, but her face was beet red and she was hysterically crying. Her mother looked at her sister and yelled for her to call an ambulance. Aunt Liz jumped up and ran inside the house, her fingers shaking as she grabbed her cell phone and dialed the three digits.
"Lisa! Lisa, talk to me! Can you see?!"
Lisa was still crying and sniffling, the pain going no where but her nose and eyes.
"No! This hurts!"
The ambulance showed up within a few minutes, and ran in the backyard where Lisa was still on the ground, her head in her mother's lap. They placed the stretcher on the ground, having Lisa roll onto it since she was still paralyzed with fear and pain. They lifted the stretcher, her mother's hand still in hers.
"What happened?"
Mrs. Esposito explained what happened, the paramedic repeating her words into a walkie talkie attached to his shirt. Lisa still cried in pain as her mother shushed her and told her everything was going to be okay.
The ambulance ride seemed to take hours, but had to be at least ten minutes. Lisa's mother was holding her down, trying to keep her calm and to keep from rolling off of the stretcher. The vehicle came to a halt, and the doors flew open, Lisa coming out first, followed by her mother. The paramedics screamed that there was an accident and the hallway needed to be cleared so they could get through; that this was an emergency. Lisa could hear her heart beat in her ears, and she was beyond panicked. She was only fourteen years old, but she wasn't stupid. She knew something beyond repair just happened.
Mrs. Esposito was bouncing her leg as it was crossed over the other in nervousness and looked at the clock on the wall. She had been sitting in the waiting room for five hours, and it felt so much longer. Her sister and nephew sat beside her, feeling the same anxiety and worry. Tommy had his head in his hands as his mother ran a hand across his back. He had cried in the car, screaming that it was his fault and he didn't know. When they first arrived at the hospital, Tommy ran into his Aunt Laura and sobbed, apologizing and wailing that he didn't mean it, to which his aunt just hugged him and soothed him.
Her blonde hair that she had pulled into a bun was getting messy due to her drowsiness, and her manicured nails were all chewed, due to her worry.
Finally, the doctor from earlier came out from behind the double doors, and sighed. Mrs. Esposito jumped up, as did Liz and Tommy, but they were told to sit the second the doctor got close enough. He sat beside the woman, her body facing him.
"Mrs. Esposito, sorry to keep you waiting this long."
The woman nodded, eager to hear what he had to say.
"That's fine, that's fine. How's Lisa? Is she going to be okay?"
The doctor looked down for a second, inhaling and patting her hand.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am, but Lisa has lost her sight. The way the firework entered her eye was at an angle that hit her retinas, corneas, and destroyed her pupils in both eyes."
Laura's hand went to her heart, a tear coming down her aged face.
"Will she be able to see again?"
The doctor looked down at his clip board, and shook his head.
"Not with out drastic surgery, however, she is too young and it is too dangerous for lasik eye surgery. Plus, according to your insurance, you do not have the coverage, and for you to pay yourself...it would be astronomical."
"That doesn't matter. How much would it be to fix her sight?"
Liz took her sister's hand, telling her that there was nothing she could do.
"No! I will not let my daughter go through her life not being able to see! She doesn't deserve that! What would I have to do to fix this?!"
The doctor stood up, and went to the secretary desk, grabbing a pen and paper. He wrote down and explained all of the costs, and gave her the paper.
Her eyes widened at the huge number, and let out a choked sob, her sister immediately hugging her and rocking her as she trembled.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Esposito. We're going to keep her for the night, and she will be ready in the morning."
